Static Electricity 101 "Just Shocking"
(Why'd my speed dial stop working?)
A Chemical way to get rid of static electricity.

Chemical way to get rid of static electricity In this tutorial, we are going to give a brief overview of static electricity and talk a bit on what it does and how to get rid of it in a way that you may not have heard before. The reason we have included static electric "shocks" in our tutorials is because of the amount of phones and much more often, the circuit boards in phone systems that get damaged (see:fried) as a direct result of static discharges. Static electricity generally builds up and becomes strong enough to "jump" or "shock" you, (or objects), in areas that are extremely dry. A classic example is a typical clothesdryer, but an office space that doesn't have enough humidity, or moisture in the air will work just fine.

When enough electricity builds up on your clothes, it begins to look for a place to escape to, which to static electricity means to a source of ground. In other words, just like lightning, which is a much larger form of static electricity, when too much electricity has accumulated, it does what all electricity does, it finds a "ground" and jumps in that direction. In your workspace, one of the best places for that static power to jump to is your phone, because the wires that feed your phone are grounded in your phone closet. (Or are supposed to be grounded....) When you get "shocked", what is actually happening is that around 40 MILLION VOLTS of static electricity are LEAVING you and going into whatever you touch. (Or come close to touching). If that happens to be your phone, the damage to it can range from nothing going wrong all the way to the system itself being put out of service and anything you can imagine in between.

There are quite a few ways to combat this problem, but we have one that you may not have thought of, and that we know works great. Get a bottle of "Downy" fabric softener, and dilute it in a bucket with the same amount of water. (Tap water's fine). Put it in a spray bottle and spray mostly around the floor area of your office. Be really careful not to get this stuff in your computers, copiers printers etc., it'll make them verrry sick! This little trick will get rid of most of your static electricity troubles for about 2 months, then you'll have to do it again.

At our website we have added a couple of things since our last tutorial that we think you may find interesting. There is now an "Accredited Providers" section, where you can view Accredited Telephone System Dealers, Local/LongDistance Companies and Data Providers in your area, as well as Manufacturers of Telephone, Voicemail and Data Equipment Manufacturers Nationwide. This section is brand-new, and as a result we are asking that if you know or use any of these types of companies that you think are really good, knowledgeable and fair, have them contact us and we'll list them free of charge.

We have also listed a "Client References" page, where comments from a few of the people who have attended our seminars or purchased our video courses have been put on display for all to see. Alas, one more thing; I wanted to apologize to all of you who filled out "Telephone System Survey" forms on our website for my procrastination in getting them posted. They are up now, and I believe there is somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 surveys on phone systems listed! If you've got a system, even if it's a few years old, please visit our site and fill out one of those forms. It only takes one minute, and truly helps other companies in finding out what's good and what's not. We are working hard to make this company the very best source of information in the world on telephone and voicemail systems. We will continually add more information for you, and we hope to have your continued support. (In other words, if you know anyone who might benefit from our information, video courses or seminars, spread the word!) As always, if you have a problem with phone systems or phones that you just cant seem to figure out, give me a call or an email, and I'll do my best to help.

Chris Walsh,
Telephone System Learning Seminars,
tellearn.com
(800) 509-3666